Madhur Jaffrey's Illustrated Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey

    • Categories: Main course; Indian
    • Ingredients: fresh ginger; ground cumin; ground coriander; turmeric; ground cayenne pepper; green cardamom pods; whole cloves; minced lamb; mint; garam masala
    • Accompaniments: Whole green lentils with garlic and onion
    show

Notes about this book

  • passatellikelly on April 07, 2023

    I made the Lentils with Spinach and Ginger (cooked the lentils in vegetable stock instead of water) and it was MIND-BLOWINGLY DELICIOUS. Like, I cannot even believe how good it was. I also made the Yogurt with Cucumber and Mint to go with it, and that was also super delicious. This is going into the regular rotation and I will definitely be making more things out of this now!

  • mama_c on September 09, 2022

    I have one not listed, published by Barton’s, isbn 9780812027006

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Turkey kebabs (Turkey ke kabab)

    • mirage on October 09, 2010

      Serve w/homemade pita and coriander chutney.

  • Lamb with spinach (Dilli ka saag gosht)

    • mirage on June 26, 2010

      was Quite Good with beef. Served w/yogurt, p. 210

    • rionafaith on June 30, 2016

      p. 49 -- Made a few changes out of necessity: used beef chuck instead of lamb as it was on sale. Used 2 packs of frozen spinach (less than what was called for) and forgot to chop one of them (the other was pre-chopped). I had squeezed all the moisture out of it but that was probably unnecessary, as I added more water to the pot later when everything was sticking. Still, good flavor and kept very well in the fridge. Will def re-make with some tweaks.

  • The Lake Palace Hotel's eggplant cooked in the pickling style (Baigan achari)

    • mirage on June 26, 2010

      Very Good! Good potluck contribution, too.

    • TrishaCP on June 27, 2013

      In this case, the pickling spice is nigella seed (kalonji), and it adds a nice oniony flavor to the dish. I didn't want to fry the eggplant in oil, so I baked it at 375F degrees for about 35 minutes and that was fine. (Just make sure it doesn't dry out if you go this route.) I did find this quite spicy so you may want to watch it if making this dish.

  • Vegetable pullao (Sabzi pullao)

    • Laura on May 02, 2010

      3/21/10: Even with all the spices, this was just ok -- the flavors just did not pop. Very disappointing.

  • Yoghurt with walnuts and fresh coriander (Akhrote ka raita)

    • wester on June 14, 2017

      A good but not that special raita.

  • Gujerati carrot salad (Gajar ka salad)

    • wester on October 31, 2016

      OK but nothing special. The mustard seeds do look good though.

    • LizCo on May 07, 2023

      I've been making this for years. It's incredibly quick to prepare and absolutely delicious.

  • Delicious cocktail koftas (Chhote kofte)

    • wester on December 25, 2013

      I'm not rating this as I didn't make the sauce, but the meatballs were good.

  • Minced meat with peas (Kheema matar)

    • wester on March 24, 2015

      As I was serving this to children, I left out the chiles, cayenne and coriander leaves, and served hot sauce and coriander on the side, to add to taste. The children loved it ("Can we please have this tomorrow as well?"), and I really liked it too, but I thought the coriander and hot sauce were quite indispensible - without them it tasted too "solid". It was simple to make and inexpensive as well.

  • Kashmiri meatballs (Kashmiri koftas)

    • wester on September 03, 2013

      Very nice meatballs with "sweet" spices (cinnamon, cloves) as the most prominent flavor. Not too sharp. I made them with beef instead of lamb, and they were lovely. You do need a well-stocked spice cupboard for this. And you would need a very large pan to fry the full recipe in a single layer, but then she does suggest you could use two frying pans. Will definitely repeat.

  • Cauliflower with fennel and mustard seeds (Baghari phool gobi)

    • wester on January 29, 2016

      Good everyday fare. Easy and tasty.

    • JLDuck on March 19, 2019

      I basically used strictly fried technique and added a little water. The result was a dry dish with the cauliflower just cooked.

  • Whole green lentils with spinach and ginger

    • wester on December 03, 2017

      Tweaked beyond recognition but still a sound basic idea. Maybe a bit more ginger. Halved the recipe, used Savoy cabbage instead of spinach, used Puy lentils and shortened the cooking time, added four cups of chicken stock and one cup of yogurt to make it more soupy. Would also be good to feed a crowd.

    • mcvl on May 02, 2023

      A classic. I used a mixture of spinach and fava leaves, yum.

  • Potatoes with sesame seeds (Til ke aloo)

    • Avocet on April 18, 2014

      This is excellent and very easy. I don't cool the potatoes for more than a few minutes, and I don't bother with peeling them, so it is a quick side dish.

  • Kashmiri lamb stew (Kashmiri yakhni)

    • TrishaCP on February 14, 2014

      I did not have good luck with this recipe, mainly because it needed tweaking and I didn't go for it until too late. First problem was that the recipe calls for way too much water, so when you add the yogurt at the end it just gets way too watery and you lose all the favor from the spices. Next time, I would cut the water in half, and add more just as necessary. Also, the lamb shoulder meat produced quite a bit of grease, but there is no instruction to degrease- I did anyway before adding the yogurt. Finally, I only added 5 cloves instead of 15, I just couldn't believe that wasn't a typo.

  • Prawns in a dark sauce (Rasedar jhinga)

    • TrishaCP on October 19, 2015

      This was spicy and flavorful but I did make some tweaks. I made the garlic/onion/ginger paste adding one tablespoon of water at a time, and only needed two to get a fully blended paste (rather than the book's three). Added this with the dry toasted spices (cinnamon, cardamom, bay)- but was never able to achieve the browned flavor called for even after cooking for 10 minutes (the recipe calls for 5 min.)- in the end I just gave up and added the additional spices (cumin, coriander, cayenne, and turmeric) and crushed tomatoes (rather than fresh) until I ended up with something that was brick-like in color. I added the full amount of water to the recipe, but waited about 10 minutes until the sauce had thickened before adding the shrimp to avoid overcooking- I couldn't imagine they wouldn't be overcooked following the recipe as written. Served with the book's Cauliflower and Potato recipe, which was good but the sauce is so delicious it is almost a waste to not serve with rice.

  • Kashmiri red lamb stew (Kashmiri rogan josh)

    • TrishaCP on January 18, 2016

      This was a delicious lamb dish, which you can make almost exclusively with pantry ingredients as it uses powdered ginger instead of fresh and omits onions and garlic. (The recipe notes indicate that it is typical to use dried ginger in Kashmir.) Adding the yogurt and seeing it curdle reminded me that I've previously had a problem with her technique in this area-I need to consult 660 Curries again to avoid future mistakes because I don't think I did with Mr. Iyer's method. Nonetheless, it had more or less rectified itself by the time most of the liquid had cooked down, so wasn't a huge problem.

  • Cauliflower with potatoes (Phool gobi aur aloo ki bhaji)

    • TrishaCP on October 19, 2015

      A great version of a classic dish. Served as a side to the Prawns in a Dark Sauce recipe, but would be great as a stand-alone dish too.

    • rionafaith on September 19, 2016

      p. 109 -- Very simple but tasty. I somehow couldn't find whole cumin seeds in my spice cabinet so I just used a bit more ground, about 1.5tsp total -- I think the texture of the whole seeds would be nice so I'll try to make as written next time. I also only used about 3Tbsp of vegetable oil rather than the 5 called for, and used half a red bird's eye chili instead of a green chili since I happened to have some in the fridge.

    • deboChicago on September 04, 2019

      This is a wonderful recipe. Always comes out beautifully.

  • Aromatic yellow rice (Peelay chaaval)

    • happyeater on May 20, 2011

      The addition of the turmeric makes this rice so silky. The pot of rice is always gobbled up when I make this and it's not much more work than a pot of regular white rice.

  • Cabbage with peas (Bund gobi aur matar)

    • Thredbende on December 09, 2011

      This is really good, quick and surprising. The little bit of turmeric makes the cabbage color especially pretty. It is a warm and lovely frugal mid winter veg dish.

    • Clog on February 25, 2023

      The timings made for very crunchy cabbage. We prefer softer cabbage so I needed to add five minutes or so. Still, it's a lovely side dish.

  • Chicken mulligatawny soup

    • Thredbende on December 09, 2011

      This is a superb soup made with a red lentil dal as base, then a ginger garlic paste fried, and raw chicken breast sauteed into the hot spice paste. The cooked chicken is then combined with the dal, water is added and the mixture cooked a few minutes. The soup is fragrant, inexpensive, nutritious and freezes and thaws well as a lunch.

    • kmattingly on June 12, 2012

      It is also lovely served over plain basmati rice. I agree this is a superb soup.

    • anya_sf on February 10, 2020

      I wanted a heartier soup and used a large potato and 2 chicken breasts. Extra liquid was needed to puree the soup, probably due to the larger potato. Next time I won't bother pureeing, since I prefer a chunkier texture anyway. I stirred in some chopped cilantro at the end. We enjoyed the soup very much.

  • Lemony chicken with fresh coriander (Hare masale wali murghi)

    • kmattingly on June 12, 2012

      Delightful tangy combination of lemon, coriander and chilli

    • JLDuck on April 24, 2021

      This was one of the first recipes I tried from this book many years ago. I was a novice cook at the time so this recipe was a learning experience. I have not made it in decades so decided to revisit it. I found it rather dull inspite of the lemon and coriander. I have since cooked many chicken curries with excellent results. This one can return to history.

  • Vegetable pullau (Sabzi pullao)

    • kmattingly on June 12, 2012

      A great addition to any Indian meal or as a meal on it's own

  • Salmon steamed with crushed mustard seeds and tomato (Salmon bhapey)

    • susankay on April 14, 2021

      I have made this dish hundreds of times. It’s excellent, and a family favorite!

  • Spicy baked chicken (Masaledar murghi)

    • JLDuck on June 28, 2018

      This very easy and a reasonable substitute for tandoor chicken. Tastes great.

  • Deep-fried, stuffed, savoury pastry (Samosa)

    • JLDuck on June 02, 2021

      I took the plunge and made samosas from scratch. I was amazed as to how easy it was. One of the keys is to not fill the pastry cones too much. Will definitely make them again. Recommend that you try.

  • Red split lentils with cumin seed (Masoor dal)

    • JLDuck on February 27, 2021

      A good basic dal.

  • Whole green lentils with garlic and onion

    • JLDuck on January 27, 2018

      I used canned lentils and it worked a treat. An excellent but basic dish when you forgot to make a Dahl.

  • Whole chicken, baked in aluminum foil (Murgh musallam)

    • JLDuck on July 15, 2018

      If using oven bag instead of foil do not skin as it makes the chicken a little dry.

  • Haddock baked in a yoghurt sauce (Dahi wali macchi)

    • JLDuck on November 04, 2016

      It helps if you lightly Fry the onion first. I used Almond oil.

  • Fried aubergine slices (Tala hua baigan)

    • jdub1371 on July 25, 2022

      Instead of frying the eggplant, I cut it a little chunkier, tossed it with peanut oil and the spice mixture and roasted it at 450F for 30 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes. Great! Tender, flavorful eggplant without so much oil. I will probably try frying it at some point, but most of the time I find fried eggplant too oily for my taste. Note: I did not salt and drain the eggplant before roasting it and it didn't need it. It wasn't at all bitter and the amount of salt in the spice mixture was just right.

  • Cabbage with peas (Bund gobi aur matar)

    • jdub1371 on August 10, 2017

      Fast, easy, and very pleasant cabbage side. I had a 10 oz bag of fine-shred cabbage (for coleslaw) so I halved the recipe, which calls for 20 oz (1.25 lbs) of cabbage. I let it cook a bit longer as I prefer cooked cabbage tender and a little browned. Used half a serrano chili and took it easy with the cayenne pepper and it wasn't spicy-hot at all - in fact, I think I'd like a little more green chili in there. I also really like the combination of cabbage and peas.

    • rionafaith on October 05, 2016

      p. 105 -- Quick and easy with good flavor. The cabbage remained slightly firm which I liked. I used half a serrano pepper, as I had it left over in my fridge and Jaffrey doesn't really specify type other than "green chili". It ended up being a good spice level for me, maybe even verging on slightly too hot. I think using the full chili would be too much and possibly compete with the main dish.

  • Cod steaks in a spicy tomato sauce (Timatar wali macchi)

    • kitchen_chick on April 25, 2023

      If a recipe lists TWO onions, it should be listed as an ingredient. Okay, that aside, this is delicious and it's surprisingly simple in spite of all the ingredients (the list is longer in the cookbook). I didn't bake the fish -- I used a fillet instead of steak cut, and I opted to make it even simpler and have one less pan to clean by poaching large pieces directly in the sauce after it had simmered.

  • 'Royal' lamb or beef with a creamy almond sauce (Shahi korma)

    • rionafaith on September 19, 2016

      p. 65 -- Delicious! This is one of my favorite dishes to order at Indian restaurants, so obviously I had to try making it at home. I used boneless leg of lamb and made the recipe as written, except for halving the vegetable oil (7 Tbsp just seemed excessive) and using sliced almonds instead of slivered since that's what I had on hand (and as they just get thrown in the blender it's not like it matters). I was surprised that there are no raisins/sultanas called for in this recipe, as I'm used to having a few of them in korma, so I might throw in 1/4 cup or so of them next time. However I was very pleased with the spice level and flavor here, as sometimes this dish borders on TOO mild and sweet, but this one actually has a little bit of kick. I served with the suggested accompaniment of cauliflower with potatoes (p. 109) and homemade naan (p. 139).

  • Tandoori-style chicken (Tandoori murghi)

    • rionafaith on October 05, 2016

      p. 66 -- This was good enough, but I wasn't wowed. I omitted the food coloring as it's listed as optional, but now that I've tried the recipe that way I would be sure to include it next time -- the chicken looked quite pallid, especially without any skin, and I feel like it's not quite tandoori without that bright orange color. I didn't bother straining the yogurt/spice puree and I don't think it hurt at all, and I marinated the chicken in it for about 24 hours, which made it quite moist and tasty. I did freeze the leftover marinade as the author suggests, so I'll have to try this one again with a few changes.

  • Leavened oven bread (Naan)

    • rionafaith on September 19, 2016

      p. 139 -- The baking method for this is a bit creative to compensate for not making this in a tandoor: starting with cooking each naan on a preheated baking tray (I used a pizza stone which I think was even better) for 3 minutes and then blasting it under the broiler for 30 seconds to brown. Since I have a separate drawer-style broiler that shares a dial with the oven, it was a bit complex to keep not only moving the bread but keep switching from 500* on the oven to the "broil" setting, then switching it back to 500* and letting the oven heat again... but it was doable, and using an extra pair of hands (my bf standing by) to open the oven door and pull out the rack while I slapped down each rolled-out naan definitely help. I'd recommend employing an assistant! Also, use a timer and pull each bread at the exact time indicated -- I overcooked the first one by not even a minute but it was much more cracker-like than the later ones which were much more soft and pillowy.

  • Whole green lentils with spinach and ginger

    • rionafaith on August 25, 2017

      p. 125 -- Simple, healthy, and delicious with basic pantry ingredients. I cooked the lentils in the IP (15 minutes high pressure, full natural release) and then continued with the recipe as written. I used less spinach than called for (only about half a bag) as that's what I had in my fridge and needed to use up, but I'm sure it would be even better with the full amount. I used 1 jalapeno (would use 2 next time as it wasn't remotely spicy) and squeezed a whole lemon in at the end which made it very fresh and bright.

  • Moong dal and red lentils with browned onion (Mili moong aur masoor dal)

    • rionafaith on December 26, 2018

      Really nice basic yellow dal. My lentils cooked a bit quicker than indicated and I didn't keep a close enough eye on them so the bottom of mine stuck and scorched a tiny bit, oops. Next time I would also add a bit more water as this is very thick and I am used to it being a bit soupier. The onions and spices are fragrant and delicious -- I might add more onions next time. Used 3 small dried Thai chiles and it was a good heat level.

  • 'Dry' moong dal (Sooki moong dal)

    • rionafaith on June 30, 2016

      p. 126 -- Even though this is called "dry" dal, its still moist and tender -- just not soupy as many Indian dals are. Spicier than I expected, but not TOO hot. Keep an eye on it as mine cooked faster than the time listed.

  • Lamb with spinach (Dilli ka saag gosht)

    • anya_sf on October 22, 2023

      Just delicious! Since the spinach is cooked for a long time, I wouldn't use baby spinach (I used bagged "regular" spinach) and the color ends up muddy green. 1/2 recipe just served 3 with rice and a side of chickpeas.

  • Black-eyed beans with mushrooms (Lohbia aur khumbi)

    • purrviciouz on March 30, 2020

      We love this dish, enjoyed as a main dish with plain basmati rice, plain yoghurt, and a generous squeeze of lemon.

  • Yoghurt with cucumber and mint (Kheere ka raita)

    • ebalk02 on October 24, 2023

      This slaps. Would also be good with a little onion but totally perfect as written.

  • Chicken with roasted coriander in a coconut curry sauce (Dakshini murgh)

    • dc151 on July 20, 2021

      Fabulous! Straightforward to make, wonderful flavor. I added some blanched green beans to the finished dish and served over rice

  • Beetroot with onions (Shorvedar chukander)

    • Clog on May 23, 2022

      This recipe is not in my copy.

  • Cauliflower with cumin and asafetida (Heeng zeere ki gobi)

    • jenburkholder on January 24, 2022

      Really nice, simple cauliflower recipe. Asafoetida-forward (in a good way). Will definitely make again.

You must Create an Account or Sign In to add a note to this book.

Reviews about this book

This book does not currently have any reviews.

  • ISBN 10 0563383038
  • ISBN 13 9780563383031
  • Published Oct 03 1996
  • Format Paperback
  • Page Count 224
  • Language English
  • Edition New edition
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Ebury
  • Imprint BBC Books

Publishers Text

Containing 15 new recipes, this is a revised edition of Madhur Jaffrey's companion for lovers of Indian food. There are altogether 140 recipes from all over India, with suggestions for combining them with European foods, as well as a selection of Indian menus, and the spices, seasonings, flavourings and techniques most commonly used in Indian cookery are described.

Other cookbooks by this author